The present invention pertains generally to a tool for tensioning wire, as for example, wire used in a high tensile trellis in a fruit tree orchard or a vineyard.
To increase per acre production, it is now an accepted practice to train the branches of fruit trees along horizontal wire trellises consisting of vertically spaced runs of wire. The original installation of trellis wire and periodic re-tensioning of same with known tools is a time and labor intensive effort. Further, existing equipment and fittings used for tensioning and locking wire under high tensile loads are costly to the owner of a large commercial orchard. With existing practices and equipment, it is not uncommon to periodically tension the wires of a trellis by means of a costly ratchet mechanism which remains in place on each wire of the trellis. Such devices are termed in the trade in-line wire strainers and wind the wire about a radius preventing reuse of the wire.